Competition Introduction and Important Information

  1. Objectives:
    • Creative Category (20 entries will be shortlisted): Just like last year, we’re keen to select outstanding short films of 3 minutes or less that capture the cultural ambiance unique to Taiwan, featuring inspiring local stories or ephemeral moments of beauty that you think would appeal to an international audience.
    • Brand Story Category (12 entries will be shortlisted): If Taiwan were a brand, how would you frame its story? Would you focus in on Taiwan being the very first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage for instance? Or highlight it as the birthplace of bubble tea? We’d like you to pick one trait you think Taiwan has and make it the theme of a 60-second narrative short film. We’ve provided two examples taking the theme of “Taiwan being the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage,” at the links below. Short film 1; Short Film 2
  2. Competition Criteria:
    • There is no age limit or restriction based on nationality. The competition is open to everyone. There is no registration fee.
    • Those under the age of 20 require a letter of consent from their legal guardian.
    • Those invited to serve as judges for the competition may not enter the competition.
    • Units under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are not eligible to enter the competition.
    • The works submitted shall be original and have never received any award at any other public competition and/or selection.
  3. Submission Period: August 31 – October 16, 2021 (before 23:59:59 Taipei time).
  4. How to Submit: (Note: All entries must be uploaded. DVDs sent by mail will not be accepted).
    • Step 1: Upload the video in the required format to your personal YouTube channel.
    • Step 2: Click the “Submit” button on the official website.
    • Step 3: Fill out the registration information including, the category in which you wish to compete (each short film should only be registered in one category), entrant name and/or team name (including names of individual team members) and bios, filmmakers’ nationality (tick either ROC or foreign nationality), film theme (no more than 300 words), and film URL. The consent box for the competition rules in the registration process must be ticked.
  5. Results Announcement:
    • November 2, 2021 (Tue).): The names of the 32 shortlisted submissions will be announced on the event website.
    • November 13 , 2021 (Sat.): The list of winners will be announced at an awards ceremony. There will be 20 winners, who will be required to sign a copyright authorization agreement.
  6. Awards ceremony: November 10, 2021 (Wed.).
  7. Winner announcement on website: November 13, 2021 (Sat.).
  8. Film Requirements:

    • Subject matter and setting: Taiwan should be the subject matter or main backdrop for the film, and the works should tell a local story or portray a moment of beauty that will resonate with international audiences.

    • Film duration: Submissions in the Creative Category (including the opening, the primary content and the credits) should not exceed three minutes, based on the YouTube broadcast time. Submissions in the Brand Story Category should not exceed one minute, based on the YouTube broadcast time. Submissions exceeding the duration limitations will be disqualified without notice.

    • The film’s aspect ratio should be 16:9.

    • There are no requirements for the type or brand of camera equipment to be used in the making of the film, however, a minimum resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p) is required.

    • When uploading the film to YouTube please title it following the format below: Film name - 2021 Trending Taiwan, e.g., ‘I Just Love Taiwan - 2021 Trending Taiwan’. Both the Chinese "潮台灣" and English "Trending Taiwan" logos must be embedded throughout the video. The logos can be downloaded here.

    • Entrants are advised to consider the requirements for broadcasting on different platforms during the film-making process and should leave space for foreign language subtitles and the font of any text used should be sized appropriately for viewing comfort.

    • Panorama VR submissions are welcome but are not a requirement for the competition. Entrants are encouraged to be creative and choose innovative subject matters.

    • Films with themes involving interactions between Taiwanese people and individuals from ASEAN, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, New Zealand, and Australia are strongly encouraged.

  9. Other information:
    • An entrant may submit more than one entry but shall submit only one in each category of the competition. Entrants that violate this rule will be disqualified from the competition.

    • In the event of any violation of the competition rules, any infringement, and/or any other illegalities, the organizer reserves the right to disqualify the entry and recover the awarded prize; for details on copyright rules please refer to the Copyright License Agreement on the event page.

    • If more than half of the judges are in agreement, the organizer may choose to "not award" or increase the number of places in other categories based on the quality of submissions and the judging process.

    • The organizer reserves the right to determine if any of the works submitted have participated in any other selections in addition to this competition, whether there have been any duplicate submissions, whether any work submitted has already been awarded but has then been adapted, edited, and/or rehashed for this competition, and/or whether there is any forgery, fraudulence, or illegitimacy. In the event of any of the aforementioned violations or issues, the organizer may disqualify any entrant and revoke any award won, and the organizer reserves the right to prosecute. Upon registration, entrants shall check the box, stating "I understand the competition rules and shall agree to abide by the Copyright License Agreement herein."
    • Participation in the competition shall be considered acceptance of all the activities and related rules of the competition. Any violation of the competition rules is subject to disqualification from the competition and its awards, and the organizer reserves the right to prosecute any violation.
    • The organizer shall use the personal data provided by entrants only for the purpose of this event and shall abide by the Personal Data Protection Act to protect entrants’ rights. Participation in the competition shall be considered acceptance of the organizer’s collection, processing and other use of entrants’ personal data for the sole purpose of this event. Entrants also hereby authorize the organizer to publicize their names.